Closed Circuit (2013 film)

Closed Circuit

Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Crowley
Produced by Tim Bevan
Eric Fellner
Chris Clark
Written by Steven Knight
Starring Eric Bana
Rebecca Hall
Riz Ahmed
Ciarán Hinds
Jim Broadbent
Music by Joby Talbot
Cinematography Adriano Goldman
Edited by Lucia Zucchetti
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures (UK)
Focus Features (US)
Release dates
  • August 28, 2013 (2013-08-28) (US)
  • November 1, 2013 (2013-11-01) (UK)
Running time
 96 minutes[1]
Country United Kingdom
United States
Language English
Box office $6.3 million[2][3]

Closed Circuit is a 2013 British-American political thriller drama film directed by John Crowley and written by Steven Knight, released on August 28, 2013.[4] The film stars Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall, Ciarán Hinds, Jim Broadbent, and Riz Ahmed.

Plot

The film opens with a crowded London market (borough market) being destroyed through an explosive terrorist attack. Farroukh Erdogan is detained as the primary suspect and mastermind of the attack while his two alleged co-conspirators are killed in attempts to apprehend them (unseen to the viewer).

Barristers Martin Rose and Claudia Simmons-Howe are selected by the British Attorney General to represent Farroukh in court after the previous barrister fell off a roof. The two barristers secretly had an affair in the past, which became known to Martin's wife and has caused an alienation from her and their son. Due to the classified nature of the sources in the trial, the trial is split into two divisions. Claudia will represent Farroukh in closed hearings to attempt to determine which classified pieces of information are required for his defense. Martin will represent him in the open trial using information allowed by the closed hearings. The two barristers are not allowed to contact one another. Claudia is watched over by MI5 agent Nazrul Sharma with very strict rules of accessing the classified information. Martin is assisted by friend and lawyer Devlin.

The case quickly turns mysterious for both barristers. Farroukh and his family refuse to talk and simply state he's guilty. Martin and Claudia notice signs that they're secretly being monitored. Investigation into peculiar aspects of Farroukh's past leads Martin to discover that Farroukh was a secret MI5 agent, who had been planted in a terrorist cell in London. It is never revealed whether Farroukh double-crossed MI5 or if the cell double-crossed him, but in either case, the terrorist attack was accidentally funded by MI5. MI5 is willing to kill to keep this secret, and Farroukh and his family are admitting guilt in order to avoid assassination. Meanwhile, a prominent American journalist, Joanna Reece attempts to get close to Martin in order to get information about the trial, but Martin is one step ahead. He eventually gets Joanna's help by sharing information she has on the case (though Reece is mysteriously murdered soon after).

Martin secretly passes this information to Claudia. She brings the information forward in the first closed hearing while questioning high-ranking MI5 agent Melissa. The judge demands that Farroukh's son testify the following day as he was a major informant for MI5 in the case. When Claudia returns home, an assassin attempts to kill her, but she manages to escape. Farroukh's son realizes he is going to be killed and escapes surveillance. Martin, Claudia, and Farroukh's son spend the night evading Melissa and Nazrul, during which Devlin is revealed to be working with MI5. The trio manage to deliver Farroukh's son to the closed hearing where he testifies, but Nazrul kills Farroukh in prison and makes it appear as a suicide, rendering the case closed. The Attorney General threatens Martin in private, saying that he purposefully assigned Martin and Claudia to the case due to knowing their secret history, and if he does not remain quiet about what Martin found during the trial, he'll have the duo of barristers disbarred for their conduct during the trial.

The closing audio of the film reveals the conspiracy is eventually revealed to the public.

Cast

Reception

Closed Circuit has received mixed reviews from critics; it currently holds a 42% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 128 reviews, with the critical consensus saying "Slick and well acted, Closed Circuit unfortunately never quite works up a full head of steam, with a plot that's alternately predictable and full of holes."[6] On another film aggregator, Metacritic, the film has a score of 50 (out of 100), based on 39 critics.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "CLOSED CIRCUIT (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 19, 2013. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Closed Circuit (2013)". Box Office Mojo. September 19, 2013. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Closed Circuit – International". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ "'Closed Circuit' Set For August 2013". darkhorizons.com. Retrieved March 18, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Closed Circuit Showtimes, Info, Trailers, and Photos - Atlanta Calendar: Events, Festivals, Concerts". Events.accessatlanta.com. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  6. ↑ "Closed Circuit (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Closed Circuit". Metacritic. Retrieved July 26, 2015.

External links

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